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Washington City’s First Weed Dispensary Forced To Close

In Tacoma, Washington, a weed dispensary forced to close for failing to pay back taxes has historical meaning for the local cannabis scene. Rainier on Pine was Tacoma’s first fully operational legal weed store. But the dispensary lost its license yesterday. As a result, Tacoma’s first-ever weed dispensary has now been shut down. Unpaid Taxes According to local media, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) revoked the dispensary’s license yesterday at noon. The move was the conclusion of an ongoing tax drama. Reports show that between August 2014 and November 2017, Rainier on Pine sold $13.1 million worth of cannabis products. Under Washington’s tax laws, that equates to around $4.7 million in excise taxes. But apparently, the owners of the shop did not make full tax payments. In fact, LCB officials said that starting in 2016 Rainier on Pine was delinquent on $768,000 of taxes. Since then, that number has spiked even higher. When the LCB shut down Rainier on Pine...